In ad, Obama makes pitch for House candidate from Louisiana

Obama makes pitch for La. candidate

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is telling New Orleans-area voters he needs them to vote for the Democrat running for Congress from their district.

Obama tells voters in the ad that “New Orleans needs Cedric Richmond in Congress, and so do I.” The state representative is running against Rep. Joseph Cao, a Republican and the nation’s first Vietnamese-American congressman.

Cao was an underdog in the mostly Democratic district two years ago, yet defeated scandal-plagued incumbent William Jefferson. Low turnout and Jefferson’s indictment — and later conviction — on corruption charges helped Cao win.

Cao has voted with the president at times, including for an expansion of children’s health insurance and for new financial institution regulations.

Obama lost Louisiana to John McCain in the 2008 election and Republicans in the state are making opposition to his policies a major part of their campaigns. The New Orleans district is an exception; Obama carried it and it is almost 60 percent black. Democrats argue that they have a good chance of winning the district.

The Richmond-bought ad first ran during the New Orleans Saints’ game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.